


Beautiful Lie

by Anonymous



Category: The Flash (Comics), The Flash - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Obsessive Behavior
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:20:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25964260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: "Destiny brought us together, Barry. You can’t deny that. I didn't understand it at first but now I do. Our lives, our fates tangled and tied to each other's forever like vines. We can't exist without each other. I am who I am today because I love you. And, ironically, you are who you are today because you met me.”
Relationships: Barry Allen/August Heart, Barry Allen/Eobard Thawne (one-sided)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 29
Collections: Anonymous





	Beautiful Lie

**Author's Note:**

> English isn't my first language. I just love rare pairs and another terrible part of me ships Eo and Bar.

_Strawberry blond hair fell into his eyes as someone yanked his cowl back, leaving his face bare to the cold air around them. He felt naked under heavy gazes without his cowl to cover him, to provide him with privacy. His heart clenched with a different kind of shame once he saw who was standing in front of him. His head fell forward, eyes closed tiredly as the arms around his biceps tightened. They had nothing to fear, he lost. He had no intention to fight back._

_They didn’t drag him away as he expected, almost fearfully, he opened his eyes without lifting his head. He wasn’t ready to face him yet, he couldn’t look into those sad, blue eyes. It was him, him that made his idol, his hero sad. He could see his own reflection on the shiny yellow boots,_ _mocking him, reminding him of his place, at the feet of his idol._

_He struggled to understand; how did everything go so wrong so quickly? How did he fail so miserably? He was Eobard Thawne. He was intelligent, talented, creative, in love[1]_ _... so in love with this man standing in front of him. Enamored with his presence here, even in a disgustingly emotional moment like this where he knew his idol would never look at him with those kind eyes and bright smile ever again._ _His presence towered above him like the sun and Eobard waited for the sunset with dread when his hero would walk out of his life with disappointment and resentment written all over his pretty face._ _Flash would leave him at the hands of the cops and go back to his own timeline. Eobard would never see him again. Because Eobard got caught because Eobard was reckless and careless and he disappointed the Scarlet Speedster._

_He saw the red spandex-clad knee softly lowering down to the ground, crouching in front of Eobard to look at his face. Eobard wanted to object, Flash shouldn’t be kneeling in front of anyone to lower himself to their level, he should always stand tall and proud. Like a god amongst men. But when he finally raised his head to look into the eyes of the man that he idolized for so long, Barry didn’t look like a god. He looked sad, tired, almost broken. His blue eyes were wide with pain. A pain that Eobard caused._

_“Eobard...” He muttered his name softly; Thawne wanted to close his eyes and bask in the moment. No matter what, he loved hearing Barry say his name and this could be the last time he would be hearing Barry’s voice. “I... I am not abandoning you.”_

_Eobard’s eyes widened as he finally found the courage to look into his eyes. Barry wasn’t angry, he wasn’t abandoning him. Eobard felt his body, even without the Speed Force running through his veins, come to life. There was still hope. He could live with this tiny hope igniting his heart again. He could work for it, to earn Barry’s trust again._

_“I will try, try to be better.” He said quickly, pleading for Flash to believe him. Barry’s face_ _softened;_ _a sad smile appeared on his lips._

_“You hurt people, Eobard. Even killed them. You understand this is wrong, right? You understand why I have to let them arrest you?”_

_Eobard lowered his face in shame. Flash was kind and forgiving but he fought for justice, he fought for the people Eobard killed and he was still disappointed in him. Deep down he knew what he did was wrong, he knew he shouldn’t have committed those crimes to act like a hero. But he was so desperate to become a hero and 25th-century_ _cops were good at their jobs. Crime rates were nowhere near Barry’s century. He was impatient, he couldn’t sit down and wait for the crime to appear, so, he committed them himself. He wanted to get Barry’s attention. He wanted to be like him. He wanted to run with Barry. He wanted Barry to look at him, see him and appreciate and love him._

_“Yes.” He muttered softly._

_“I am not trying to hurt you, I think... I think what you need is rehabilitation. Eobard, I am so sorry, I should have seen, I should have known—” Eobard looked up at the Flash with wide eyes. His hero was sad, he was blaming himself for what happened. For not realizing Eobard’s wrongdoings and letting him work with the hero._

_“It’s not your fault. I... I accept the rehabilitation. You see, I will get better, I will be a better person and hero and then we can run together again. I will show you.”_

_Barry gave him a warm smile that made Thawne’s heart beat faster and reached forward to place a red gloved hand on his shoulder._

_“I hope so, Eobard.” He_ _squeezed_ _his shoulder softly. “I will come back.”_

But he never did[2]. Maybe Thawne was being harsh, maybe he wasn’t fair to the Central’s hero. Barry didn’t know about Eobard’s early release. He didn’t know about how Eobard became the perfect, model prisoner and citizen in such a short time. How they decided to release him early and observe his behaviors, how he fits into the society, before taking off the Dampeners. So, Eobard waited. He found a job at the Flash Museum which wasn’t that hard considering he personally met the Flash and knew everything about him long before meeting the hero himself. He was kind and sweet to the visitors, he helped people. 

He kept his promise to the Flash, he was better. He was getting better each day. So, he patiently waited for Barry to keep his promise as well. He knew Barry was a very busy person and he had a huge city and even the world to defend and protect yet... Eobard hoped for more. He wanted more. He desired more. He dreamed of the day those dampeners would be taken off and Speed Force would run through his veins again like liquid ambrosia. Then Eobard could do whatever he wanted. He could travel back in time just like he read in history books written on the Flash and reach Barry’s century just in time to save the Flash from a villain. He would sweep him off his feet with his heroism. 

The day they took off his dampeners, Eobard fell onto his knees, Speed Force came back to him the moment they were gone and his body bent forward with the sudden surge of power, they had to hold his arms to stop him from falling onto his face like an idiot. But it was back, so was the connection between him and the Flash. Eobard could almost feel him, it was hard to explain, Barry told him they didn’t have a power like that but Eobard could swear he felt closer to the Flash. 

He didn’t really need to do a research to know anything about the Flash, he memorized Iris West’s book, he memorized every little detail about Barry’s life. But he couldn’t afford to make a mistake. He checked his notes again. He was going to go back in time to surprise Barry. Blond man would be so excited to see Eobard again, they would run all around the world together, Barry introducing his century to Eobard with the same passion that Eobard had when he was showing Barry the 25th century. 

Then his entire world shattered and fell on him, broken pieces cut his skin and tore his heart and his hands were reddened with his own blood. Soon to be replaced with someone else’s. 

Barry replaced him. Barry had another partner. A fucking kid with red hair and stupid green eyes that looked up at Barry with wonder and admiration as the blond man leaned down, placing a small gift box on kid’s hand. Kid opened the box with a huge smile on his face and that’s when Eobard saw it; Barry gave this kid his father’s watch. He knew how much Barry valued it. And he gave it to this kid, not Eobard. 

Eobard ran away, clawed hands buried in his strawberry blond hair, pulling strands with anger. He stopped in the middle of a desert, falling onto his knees as he raised his face up toward the sky and let out a scream. No one would remember him. He wasn’t going to be the Flash’s partner. At best he would be remembered as the crazy guy who faked crimes to get Flash’s attention. 

He tried. 

He tried to change. To be better. To be worthy. Yet, he was back to square one. Maybe... maybe he was never destined to become a hero. 

It lasted for a minute, the strongest and most powerful hatred that he’s ever felt. Only for a minute. But for a speedster, a minute could equal to a year. And it was a long time to make a mistake. So, Eobard ran again. Eyes turned red with anger, lightning crackling around him as he went back in time to a night, in the middle of an ordinary suburban. He knew this place even though he’s never stepped a foot here before. 

Barry hurt him as no one has ever done before. He gave the Scarlet Speedster his heart, his love, his life and he paid back with pain. So, Eobard wanted to make him feel the same pain. He wanted Barry to lose himself in madness as he did in the middle of that desert. He felt nothing as he knocked out the father and phased his hand through the beautiful blonde woman’s chest. In his sick, twisted way of thinking, this was all justified. Barry deserved what was happening to him. 

Until he saw how it broke the kid. How he screamed at cops to let him go, how he cried when he saw his mother’s dead body. No matter what Barry did to him, Eobard still loved him. Deep regret filled his heart for a second, he felt nervous. This wasn’t like his other kills. This was personal. He just changed the entire life, history, and maybe even the personality of the person he loved the most. 

Maybe he should have killed the West kid, erasing him from the history wouldn’t change anything. No one would miss him, no one would even remember that he existed. Yet, he was so mad at Barry, for abandoning him, for choosing West kid over him that he couldn’t think logically for a second and it was all that it took to commit this crime against the person he loved the most. 

He thought about going back in time again to fix what he’s done, to stop himself from killing Nora Allen. But then... but then nothing would change. He would still be forgotten and that kid would still have Barry’s whole attention, love, and kindness to himself. He couldn’t do that. What he could do was, to change the new future. 

Eobard was a patient man, especially when it comes to Barry Allen. He spent a long time in rehabilitation, only with the hope of seeing Barry’s smile again, to receive Barry’s praises again. He knew how to wait and plan. So, he did that. He waited. He waited and watched every step of Barry Allen. He watched as he was taken in by Darryl Frye, the cop who was in love with Nora Allen. He watched Barry ignore bully kids and study. He studied a lot. Eobard felt a strange surge of pride when he witnessed Barry’s intelligence. He was far ahead of his peers. And as long as he continued like this, Eobard’s plan would work. 

Soon, they would be together. 

This was the first time Barry was wishing that he wouldn’t go to Iron Heights to see his father. When he was a kid, he would beg Darryl to let him see his father. Darryl didn’t believe in Henry’s innocence as Barry did, but he has always been so good to Barry, he never tried to stop him from seeing his father. As he grew up, he started to visit his father more often. But during his last year in high school, his relationship with his father got more complicated. His father was a great doctor before he was convicted for Nora Allen’s murder and lost everything. Growing up, he would talk about Barry’s intelligence with great pride and, to be honest, the only time Barry felt his father’s love was when he was demonstrating his intelligence. This led Barry into studying more to make his father proud. Henry always believed Barry was on his way to become a great doctor. But during his high school years, Barry started to show great interest in science. Especially chemistry and physics. Henry pouted a little bit when Barry told him he wanted to become a scientist. But Henry accepted his decision eventually. His son would work for Wayne or Luthor and become the best of the bests. 

Darryl has always been like a hero in Barry’s eyes. Not only because he took care of the kid and saved him from foster homes and gave him a good life but also because he witnessed Darryl came home supporting several bruises before. Barry knew he was a good man who was willing to do everything to protect others. Those nights were hard. Barry couldn’t sleep, he would keep worrying about Darryl. After his mother’s death, Barry developed a great fear of losing Darryl, too. Then he would be left all alone. 

His admiration for Darryl led him to many things. One of them was his fascination with forensics. Darryl had to take him to work a couple of times because he couldn’t leave the kid anywhere else and that’s how Barry found out his desire to become a CSI. 

His decision was made and Darryl supported him. However, Barry knew his father was going to fight against this idea. Showing him his acceptance letter to Central City University[3] was going to be hard. He didn’t mention his decision to his father until he was accepted because he knew his father would do anything to change his mind. But this... this was what Barry wanted. 

“Hello, Bare.” 

“Father.” The older man watched him sit down and press the phone against his ear with those bright sharp eyes that made Barry often feel like his father could see right through him. There was no point in lying to him. 

“How are you doing, son?” Barry looked down at the letter that he brought to show his father in his hand and smiled nervously. 

“I... I actually want to talk to you.” Henry’s eyes focused on the paper in Barry’s hands and his entire face lightened up. 

“Your acceptance letters?” Barry forced a smile. 

“Yes.” He opened the paper and pressed it against the shatterproof glass between them. “I am in.” 

After a moment of silence, Barry lowered the paper with a sigh. No excited congratulation, no appreciation. He knew his father wasn’t happy. 

“So,” Henry said with forced calmness, “you went all that trouble to work three different jobs and save money, then to earn a full scholarship for... this?” 

“It’s a criminal science degree, father, and yes, I have been working and studying for this.” 

Henry pressed his fingers against his temple and groaned. He looked up at Barry with those eyes that made him feel bad for bringing this up in the first place. He could have lied; how could his father know? He was in jail anyway. But just thinking about this made Barry feel terrible. No, he couldn’t lie to his father. 

“Barry... I am not against this because I think it’s a bad job. Yes, I think you are better than this. You are so smart, so intelligent... you can become whatever you want. You deserve better. But I would still respect your decision if your decision wasn’t made for the wrong reasons.” 

“Father —” 

“You had to make that decision for yourself, not for me. Not because I told you that story years ago. Now I understand it was a mistake.” 

“No!” Barry pressed his hand against the glass harder than he intended to. His eyes turned to the guard who was watching him with a bored expression. Apparently, he didn’t believe this kid could cause any real trouble. Considering how many times Barry visited this place in the past 8 years, they knew him very well. 

“Barry, I need you to listen to me. You must forget about that man.” Henry shook his head when Barry opened his mouth to object. “No, you must. I shouldn’t have told you about what happened that day. It ruined your life. Now you are chasing the shadow of a man with red lightning. Do you know how crazy that sounds? You can never prove that.” Barry’s hand tightened around the phone he was holding. 

“You don’t know that, technology is developing every day, we have new technics—” 

“I think it is time for you to start living your life, Barry.” Henry pulled his hand away from the glass. “I think from now on you should stop coming here. It’s better if you consider me dead.” 

“No! No, no. Father, no, please, don’t.” Henry watched Barry beg like a little kid with sad eyes. But he wasn’t going to change his mind, it was for the best. 

“I don’t want you to ever come back here.” Barry’s fingers spread on the glass like he could pass through it and grab his father. 

“Please, don’t.” Henry stood up, nodding at the guard to imply that he was done. 

“Good-bye, Barry.” 

Barry wasn’t one to give up easily. He kept going back to the Heights but his father always refused to see him. He went back to the city with a heavy heart and tear-filled eyes. Darryl didn’t say anything, deep down Barry knew Darryl agreed with Henry that it was for the best. Yet, Darryl never tried to stop Barry from becoming a CSI either. 

So, Barry went back to what he always did when he was in an emotional turmoil; he studied. Every waking hour, he studied. His goal was to graduate in 3 years, get his degree, get a job at CCPD, and finally get his hands on his mother’s case. Not just newspaper clippings, poorly taken notes by a kid who was listening to Darryl’s conversations behind closed doors. The real case files. 

His father was stubborn, but so was Barry. His father would see that Barry wasn’t only doing this for him, himself, or for his mother. He genuinely wanted to become a CSI. He used to listen to Darryl talk about those CSI who got paid a quarter of what Wayne and Luthor would pay to their employees, thus, they would often do a loose job, just to be done with a case and go home. They started this job with dreams and passion, with idealistic tendencies, yet the low pay, the harassment from cops, and corrupt politics would suck the life out of them, leaving nothing but a blank-faced person with a day job they stopped loving or caring about behind. 

Barry wanted to be better, he promised himself he would never let anything like this happen to himself. Whenever he felt like giving up, he would think about his own childhood, how he begged for someone, anyone, to take another look at his mother’s case and see that the evidence didn’t match, that his father was innocent and there was another man in the house. 

He had enough will power to fight for himself and every single person in this huge city. 

When they finally met, it was early October, weather in Central was still pleasant enough to wear short-sleeved polo shirts and shorts. Most students skipped classes, laying on the grass at the campus, chatting with their friends, and enjoying the good weather before it leaves them until May. Barry had no time for things like that. He was already late for Criminological Theory class and Professor Carson had enough of Barry’s terrible habit of being late to almost every class. Maybe his roommate, Manuel Lago, was right about Barry. Maybe the blond needed to wear three different watches to make sure he wasn’t late. Even that wouldn’t help him though. 

As he ran through the corridor, dodging several people and yelling ‘I am sorry’ to others, miraculously he made it to the class in time. Professor Carson was nowhere to be seen. He took a place in the front row as some of the people in the lecture hall snickered at him from behind. 

After another 10 minutes, Professor Carson walked into the hall with an annoyed expression and another young man followed him close behind. Barry slightly frowned at him, he was definitely new, Barry would know, he never missed a class before (despite being constantly late). He was tall, taller than Barry who was already above average height for someone of his age, had a muscular body under the white shirt and black pants he was wearing and he had strawberry blond hair with green eyes. 

Barry turned his eyes to Professor Carson quickly when their eyes met, a soft blush coloring his cheeks. 

“Yeah, yeah, this is Edward Thawne—” 

“Earvin Thawne.” The young man corrected him with an amused smile on his face. Carson looked at him under his reading glasses and continued. 

“Yeah... Earvin Thawne. He is my new assistant.” 

The class was as exciting as it could be; like watching paint dry. Carson was a very intelligent and well-respected man clearly but when it comes to teaching... that was something else. From a young age, Barry understood that knowing something well didn’t mean you can teach it to someone else. It required a different set of skills. And Carson lacked them, unfortunately. 

Barry was walking toward the cafeteria to meet Manuel when he felt someone’s touch on his shoulder. He flinched slightly. Since he was a little kid, people touching him unannounced irritated him. He turned around to face whoever it was and came face to face with Carson’s new assistant. 

“Oh, sorry.” The other man grinned. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” 

“No,” Barry looked down at Thawne’s hand thoughtfully. “It’s fine.” 

“Allen, right?” He extended his hand in a very calculated manner that would make someone like Manu laugh. Barry shook his hand instead. 

“Yes, but you can call me Barry.” Thawne’s smile was so big, so bright... It was like Barry granted him something so divine and unreachable for him. His... name? 

“Barry.” He said it like he was testing how it sounded coming from his own mouth, which wasn’t strange. Most people either laughed at his name or questioned it. Thawne did neither, apparently, he wasn’t curious about Barry’s full name. “If you don’t mind... I apologize if it bothers you but... I was organizing Carson’s papers and I couldn’t help myself and noticed yours. I took the liberty of reading it and I must say, I am very impressed by what I saw.” 

“Oh... wow. Thank you.” Barry looked around with reddened cheeks. He was a hard-working, smart kid who received several praises from his teachers while growing up. He was still struggling to decide how to react to appreciation. He settled for a simple shrug. “Professor Carson doesn’t agree with my opinions, I think. I am doing okay at other classes but with Prof. Carson... it’s a struggle.” 

It wasn’t like he was getting bad grades. No, his grades were fine. It was just... Carson didn’t try to hide his dislike toward Barry. And he always criticized his papers, reading them in the middle of the class, picking apart every word he wrote to embarrass him. He dreaded going to that class. Earvin lifted his hand like he wanted to reach forward and touch Barry’s arm in a friendly manner but he dropped his arm before he could do anything like that. 

“I think he is not... they aren’t aware of your intelligence. Your brilliance.” His voice was low and thickened with a surprising passion. Maybe Thawne was really into his job, maybe he also didn’t believe Carson was good enough of a teacher. Maybe he was appreciating Barry’s intelligence so much because he saw the same passion and dedication in Barry through his words on a piece of paper. 

Barry didn’t know if he should be flattered or feel uncomfortable by this sudden interest. He almost always avoided the spotlight. This was another thing Manuel mocked; Barry was a friendly person; he could be considered good looking and he was smart. Anyone else would be one of the popular, confident students around the campus. Yet, Barry was a socially awkward loner. He had no girlfriend and, hell, he didn’t even have friends. Manuel was only nice to him at the beginning because they were roommates but... but Barry was genuinely a nice guy. He liked to help, he was kind and forgiving (even when Manu almost broke his laptop). Their friendship quickly turned genuine. 

“Oh...” Barry muttered. “Thank you?” 

Barry shifted uncomfortably as Thawne continued looking at him with that big smile and shiny green eyes. Finally, he took a step back to break the eye contact, left hand clutching the strap of his backpack tightly. 

“Sorry, but, umm, I really need to go, my friend is waiting for me.” He waved at Thawne awkwardly and turned around. He was long gone when Thawne muttered those words after him: 

“See you around, Barry.” 

Barry’s tea was forgotten and gone cold on the table next to his laptop as the blond boy was so focused on choosing his next words for a paper that he was writing for Research Methods class. He decided to study on their little wooden kitchen table instead of his room as he usually did to accompany Manu since it was his turn to cook tonight. Barry was a decent cook; he spent several nights alone when Darryl was working and ordering pizza got gross and disgusting after a while. Manuel, on the other hand, knew only two ‘special dishes’: Manu’s spaghetti aglio e olio and Fake Paella. 

Tonight, it was spaghetti. 

Manuel didn’t turn on the main light on the ceiling, he preferred the soft daylight kitchen counter lights. Barry loved that, it felt cozy, warm, and _hom_ _e_. 

“So, you are telling me— Ouch!” Barry turned to Manuel quickly to see what his friend did this time to hurt himself. Luckily, it wasn’t a blood-covered hand like the last time. He forgot how hot the pot was and tried to drain the water by holding the pot with bare hands. Barry shook his head in a disapproving manner and turned his attention back to his laptop. 

“Don’t turn away from me!” Manu complained while holding his hand under cold water. “Tell me what happened.” 

“I told you.” Barry mumbled without taking his eyes off the screen. “He was just... weird.” 

“Weird how?” Barry shrugged. Manuel went back to toast the garlic. 

“I don’t know how to explain. He didn’t feel... real. He was calm, friendly, and even sweet yet... It all felt practiced. Fake. Like an actor on a stage. His behaviors felt rehearsed.” 

“Now you are just being paranoic.” Manuel chuckled. “You are not used to people hitting on you, that’s what it is.” 

Barry turned to look at his friend with wide eyes, opening his mouth to complain when they heard the lightning, followed by the light. Barry sat still for a moment; eyes went unfocused. Manuel turned around to face his friend who was deep in thoughts, the humor left his face. 

“Barry, you okay?” Blond blinked several times and looked up at his friend. 

“Oh, yes, yes, I am okay.” Manuel gave him a funny look. Barry glanced away and turned his eyes to the screen once again. 

“I am not trying to be insensitive but,” Manu said as he stirred the garlic, “I am struggling to understand, honestly.” 

“Understand what?” Barry took a sip from his tea and grimaced. It was disgustingly cold. 

“You are stupidly brave in the face of everything yet you are afraid of what, lightning?” 

Barry got up half-heartedly and poured the cold tea into the sink. 

“I am not afraid of it. It’s hard to explain.” He placed the empty mug right next to the sink. “When I was a kid, there would be those moments where I could almost _sense_ something bad was about to happen like someone was watching me and they were about to do something.” He turned around and leaned against the counter as Manuel continued to stir in other ingredients. “I could swear someone was there! And it scared me. In moments like those, I could almost feel a surge of power, like lightning around me.” He shrugged and looked down at his feet. Maybe he was just making this up, maybe he was afraid of the lightning because of what his father told him about the day his mother died. The man with the lightning. “I don’t know, it sounds stupid. Let’s just say lightning is like a bad omen for me.” He looked up at Manuel. “Bad things happen to me when there is lightning.” 

“Yeah, well,” Manuel cleared his throat, noticing Barry’s mood worsening, “bad things happen to me when I am in the kitchen.” 

He knew his distraction method worked perfectly when Barry laughed. 

“You are just trying to make me cook every night.” Manuel winked at him. 

“What can I say, Barr? You make one hell of a Napolitan Milanese.” 

Barry greeted Dolores with a nod and older woman smiled at him warmly as soon as he entered the CCPD building. In the past 3 years, Barry started to see this place as his future. Before that, this building only brought up bad memories when his father was arrested and he had to spend hours sitting on the chair next to the closed door until Darryl came out to take him home. 

“Hello, Barry.” Blond’s cheeks reddened immediately as he turned around to look at the man who just greeted him. He was tall, had dark hair and really, really pretty eyes with a perfect 5-o'clock shadow. He was _really_ pretty. 

“Oh, hi, August!” Barry shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his cardigan. “What are you doing here?” 

“I work here?” August chuckled softly. Barry grinned like an idiot as he was screaming internally. He didn’t even know why he said something like that. It’s just... August joined CCPD last year. Barry saw him for the first time 6 months ago when he came to celebrate Darryl becoming the new captain. August was funny, absolutely handsome, friendly and he didn’t mind listening Barry talk about new things he learned. They became friends quickly. And at first, Barry thought it was good for him, he was making friends at CCPD without Darryl’s influence. It was good for him, after all, this would be his future work environment. But his reaction to every time August laughed at one of Barry’s ‘facts’ wasn’t just friendly. He was attracted to the cop. And being the mess of a person, that he was, he had no idea how to deal with this attraction. 

“Oh, yeah.” He nodded quickly. “I was just kidding, haha.” August just smiled and continued to walk with him as they both climbed the stairs. 

“Why are you here though? You didn’t get in trouble, did you?” 

“Nope. I am here to see Darryl.” August laughed. 

“Of course. You are the Golden Boy[4]. It would be scandalous to even imagine you would get in trouble.” 

Barry didn’t say anything but his heart clenched almost painfully. He wouldn’t act childish and tell August to stop calling him that but ever since he decided to join the CCPD, he hated the nickname. ‘Darryl’s Golden Boy’. Like everything he’s earned was because of Darryl. Like Barry didn’t have to work day and night to get where he was now. And if he ever gets hired by CCPD then it would be written off as Darryl’s favor as well. Not Barry’s success. His achievement. 

Barry faced August when they finally reached Darryl’s office. 

“See you around, Barry.” August winked at him before walking away. Barry sighed after him and knocked on the door. 

Barry watched Darryl took a sip from his wine, it was strange to see him drinking like this. When he was younger, he would never touch that. He always had to be sober, he believed. Always on the job. But now that he was the captain, he could drink a glass of wine to accompany his dinner. He took a bite from his boeuf bourguignon and looked up at Barry. 

“So, how is it going?” Barry’s finger traced the rim of glass thoughtfully. 

“Same old, father is not talking to me, Professor Carson still hates me but at least his assistant seems to like me. Manuel still can’t cook.” Darryl chuckled softly. There was something so relaxing and assuring about Darryl’s presence. When he was a little kid and saw his mother’s dead body lying on the floor with blood covering her chest, it was Darryl who dragged him away from the crime scene. He talked to Barry, gave him his peaked cap, and calmed him down. Even in a situation like that, Barry felt he could trust Darryl. He was a soft-spoken, kind man. There was a time when he found out about Darryl’s relationship with his mother and wondered if he could be Darryl’s son instead of Henry Allen’s. He and Henry didn’t share any similarities, their personalities were completely different and Barry looked like his mother. Blue eyes, soft blond hair. Darryl shared those as well. And he was a quiet, calm, introverted man like Barry himself. But Darryl told him he and Nora had no relationship. Yes, they were friends and yes, they fell in love at some point but their relationship went nowhere. Darryl was waiting for their divorce. Instead, he found her dead body with a child next to her. He took care of her son. And since then, he was more of a father to him than Henry. Barry still loved his father; he could never give up on him but... Darryl was kind and sweet and he genuinely supported Barry’s interests. When he was little, Henry was often cold and distant. Barry relied on Nora; she was his anchor. And when she was gone, Barry regretted not trying harder to have more time with his father. But he was only 10 and his father was always busy. 

“Henry will come around eventually.” Barry appreciated Darryl’s effort. He knew Darryl didn’t like Henry yet he was still trying to make Barry feel better. “And I am sorry to tell you that but Manuel is a lost cause. Malaya told me she is worried about you; she thinks Manuel will poison you.” 

Barry chuckled softly. Malaya was Manuel’s mother and she clearly had a fondness for Barry. Manuel often complained about his mother loving Barry more than her own son. 

“She doesn’t need to worry; I only allow Manuel to make two dishes and they are both completely safe. Other than those, I wouldn’t even drink a glass of water from his hand.” Darryl looked at him with one of his ‘soft smiles’. 

“You know, Barry, I am very proud of you. You grew up to be an amazing and brilliant young man.” Barry’s hand stilled on his glass and he looked up at Darryl with a curious glance. The older man shrugged shyly; they were never good at talking about their feelings. “I just want you to know that when I took you in, I didn’t only do it because you were Nora’s son. I did it because you were an amazing kid and I felt it the moment I met you. And at first, I was worried because I didn’t know what to do with a kid. Especially one who has gone through so much. Yet, you surprised me again. You went through all that and yet, you never lost your optimism and your kindness. You always worked hard to come through.” It was probably the wine; Darryl was not used to drinking and even though he was good at many things, the emotional speech wasn’t one of them. Especially when it comes to something so personal. They never did heart-to-heart no matter how close they were. They had a silent understanding where they would know even without speaking. “You remember the day you told me you wanted to become a CSI? You told me I inspired you.” He chuckled warmly. “But, oh, Barry, it was all you. Having you in my life made me want to become a better person, a better cop. It was you who inspired me.” 

“Oh, Barry, my idol, my hero, my inspiration.” Eobard’s fingers drummed against the frosted glass as he watched Barry struggle to put his books in his backpack, almost dropping everything. He looked tired and disheveled. Yet, he was still glowing among those dull people. How could those idiots not see they were standing next to someone _so_ special? They were fools, all of them. 

Eobard’s green eyes followed Manuel Lago’s figure, carrying a big heavy looking box as he approached the blond with disapproval and bitterness. He knew Lago’s future; he knew what he would become eventually. He knew Lago’s relationship with Barry, how he almost caused his best friend’s death[5], how he abandoned his own mother... Lago wasn’t worthy of being Barry Allen’s friend. He was worthy to touch him like that, wrap his arms around the blond from behind, and startling him like Barry was any ordinary guy at the college. 

His fingers slipped on the glass slowly and his hand dropped next to him. He pressed his forehead against the cold glass and waited for Lago to disappear so he could make his next move. Lago made a joke that only made himself laugh and Barry threw him a tired look. He kneeled in front of the blond, mockingly begging him. Barry looked around them with embarrassment coloring his face and quickly nodded at his father with wide eyes. Lago laughed loudly as stood up and hugged Barry. Blond pushed him away but the other man grabbed his backpack and kissed Barry’s check before running toward the opposite way with a grin on his face. Barry looked at the box at his feet and sighed dramatically. 

Time to move. 

Eobard opened the door and slipped out to the corridor where Barry was kneeling down to pick up the box Lago left behind. Barry almost jumped back when he stood up and came face to face with Eobard. 

“Oh, hi.” He said awkwardly. His arms were wrapped around the heavy looking box. 

“Hello, Barry. How are you doing?” 

“Umm, good, yeah, what about you?” Eobard smiled brightly. 

“Very good, thank you.” He pointed at the box. 

“Do you need help with that?” Barry looked down at it and quickly shook his head. 

“No, thanks. It’s my roommate’s. He asked me to bring it back to our place.” Thawne tried not to show his annoyance. That low life was using Barry like this? He would remember to open a special chapter for Manuel Lago in his notes. 

“Why would he not do it himself?” 

“Because I was already going back anyway. He had another class.” Thawne tried to control his expression and cleared his throat. 

“So, is that mean you are free? You don’t have any other classes.” Barry shifted uncomfortably but it could simply be the heavy thing in his arms. 

“Yeah, I was just heading back. I have no other class today.” Thawne smiled again. 

“Wonderful. Because I was meaning to ask you if you would like to get some coffee with me? I want to discuss some things with you.” Barry wouldn’t turn him down, a student like him would know keeping a good relationship with the assistant could get him far. Especially since Carson didn’t like him at all. 

“Umm... sure, why not?” He pointed at the box with his chin. “But can we meet at Jitters in an hour? Because I really need to bring this back.” 

“Wonderful! I will be waiting.” Thawne waved at Barry and quickly walked away. 

Everything was going so well. 

When Barry walked into the Jitters, he was out of breath and already 15 minutes late. He hated being late but it seemed like the entire universe was mocking him. No matter what he did, how much he tried to be on time, he was always late. He quickly scanned the entire area, Jitters was, as usual, filled with college students and the freshly roasted coffee smell in the air was alone enough to sober you up. 

His eyes fell on Thawne. He was leaning against the table; a science magazine was open in front of him and he was reading it with the most serious expression Barry’s ever seen. He must admit, Thawne looked cute with his reading glasses. Yet, something about Earvin rubbed him wrong. 

“Sorry, I am late.” He hated those words, too. Everyone looked at him amusedly when he muttered those words. It became his catchphrase or something at this point. Thawne looked up at him and his face broke into a genuine smile. 

“Hi!” Barry smiled apologetically as he placed his backpack on the other chair. 

“I am truly sorry. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.” As Barry pulled the other chair to sit down, he missed the smirk on Thawne’s face, eyeing Barry with those sharp, lust-filled green eyes like he was a prey. 

“It’s okay, Barry. I have been waiting for you.” 

_For a very long time._

**Author's Note:**

> 1-) They changed Eo and Barry's history several times but one of the most recent ones (N52 and even Rebirth) almost made it look like Eobard was madly in love with Barry. I went for that one or something similar for the sake of this story. But I especially love the one where he goes back in time and sees Reverse Flash's identity and goes batshit crazy lol  
> 2-) Yeah he never did because he fucking died in COIE (yeah I changed the timeline sue me)  
> 3-) Barry studied at SCU but in this story, he goes to CCU because why not  
> 4-) Cops often call Barry lab rat and Singh calls Barry Darryl's Golden Boy. Before n52, Darryl was only interested in Barry because he believed he was more talented than all other CSI combined. After n52, the nickname because a thing because Darryl was Barry's foster father  
> 5-) it's hilarious to me that in n52 Manuel never found out Barry was alive, he thought his clones killed Barry :/


End file.
